Beijing Mamas Market Provides Platform for Creative Moms

Two local women have set up a new family fair to provide opportunities for creative moms.

The first Beijing Mamas Market will take place on Saturday May 28 at Park View Tower, from 10am to 3pm. It’s the brainchild of Nina Xu and Kiyono Sakashita, who both understand the challenges of raising children while running a business.

Sakashita founded Deli De Luxe, a boutique café, food store and catering company a year ago, after giving up a career in film location to have children. “It is a great pleasure to spend all those precious moments with my family, but I feel like I lose myself sometimes,” she tells us. She describes her business now as a “happy and stable team,” but is familiar with the issues facing entrepreneurial moms. “I struggle almost every day to balance my time and energy between family and business,” she says.

Xu understands these issues too, from the mothers she meets through Busy Hands Playgroup, the community program she launched in 2015. “They are talented and creative,” she says, “but most of them hesitate to try when they are talking about their hobbies, passions and dreams.”

Inspired by these moms, Xu and Sakashita set up Beijing Mamas Market to give them a chance to show off their talents. “We aim to empower mothers and to make a platform for them, if they have original designs, brands, startups, or even just an interesting idea,” Sakashita says.

The market promises lots of fun for families, including a cardboard maze, treasure hunt bingo, and an origami workshop. There’ll be live music, and after the show the kids can try out the electronic drums.

Xu says their goal for Beijing Mamas Market is to develop “a dynamic community for talented mamas and a kid-friendly meetup for supportive children, fathers and other caregivers.” As it’s a non-profit project they are looking for volunteers, and sponsorship from family-related businesses.